The Lock Magpie Tales#25

She walked back along the pavement to see him again, there he sat with his head down… ‘Come on,’ she thought, ‘lift up so I can see that strong chiselled chin!’ But he was writing away and obviously engrossed in whatever he was doing.
She noticed him the first time she had past the Estates Agents office window weeks ago, when she had seen her own reflection and admired slim self.
It had been hard to lose that extra weight but it was worth it, she must remind Jeannie not to cook that stodgy food again, she thought.

The young Estate Agent’s table was side wards on to the window so she could see him sitting there, straight backed and rather nice looking and tanned she noted. He had noticed her too, the girl with the shiny hair that bounced as she walked and who looked rather prissy.
The rain had started and she walked quickly to her car wondering how she could get to meet him… ‘Hang on,’ she thought as she drove off from the car park, ‘he’s an Estate Agent I could go in and pretend I am looking for a house.’

When she arrived back at the flat, Jeannie was already getting their evening meal and looking up at Patsy, she asked..’ Well did you see him again?’
‘I know what to do,’ she blurted out excitedly, ‘ We are going in to say we want a new house!’
‘Hang on there Patsy, what do you mean we?’
‘Well you want to help me, don’t you?’ she pouted.
‘Come and eat and we’ll talk about it,’ Jeannie replied. They talked as they ate and Jeannie agreed this time and once only that she’d go with Patsy.
‘So its all sorted for Saturday then?’ Patsy asked.
‘I’ll only come this once, ‘ Jeannie answered. ‘ And I mean that!’

Patsy smiled to herself, ‘good ‘ol Jeannie,’ she thought. She and Jeannie had been friends for several years.They had first met in college and were drawn to each other immediately. Jeannie wasn’t a pretty girl but her beautiful blue eyes made up for that. She had always been motherly towards Patsy and Patsy used to laugh at Jeannie’s need to please people.

Patsy was arrogant enough to think that she would bowl over Mr Estate Agent right away and the deceit of saying they wanted a new house would be forgotten. She drifted off to sleep thinking about him and woke the next day, Saturday full of expectation. She took a lot of care with her makeup brushed her hair till it shone and she looked at herself admiringly in the full length mirror, ‘Yes. she thought, ‘since she had insisted that Jeannie did some healthier meals she looked a lot better.‘ She dismissed the thought that she sometimes got herself a Big Mac in her lunch hours, how could lunches make you fat, every one knew it was the food you ate in an evening that was the cause of weight gain. Jeannie looked quite nice too and Patsy noticed she was wearing her better pair of jeans, the ones that made her big hips look quite slim.

‘Right ladies what can I do for you?’ he asked, as they ventured in through the Agents door.
‘We want a new flat, well actually it could be a new house.’ said Patsy, ’What  have you got to offer?’ Patsy noticed his name badge… Vince, …… um….she thought nice name!

‘Have you thought about price?’ he asked and his smile lit up his eyes.

Jeannie gave an upper limit and Patsy watched as he squatted down to get out some files from the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. What a tight little bum he had, she thought and blushed just thinking about it!
He stood up with a handful of leaflets and indicated for them to sit down.  They both sat on the edge of the chairs, Jeannie leaning over the desk to look at the house photos he had spread on the desk in front of them.

Patsy just looked at him and was a bit disappointed to see a thin balding patch on the crown of his head as he too leaned over. Never mind she thought the rest of him is gorgeous, right down to his feet. ‘He is so handsome and the man of her dreams’ …. She thought.

‘Would you like your daughter to see the ones with good sized second bedrooms Miss Frost?’ he asked and Patsy realised that he was talking to Jeannie and that he thought she was Jeannie’s daughter!
‘ I am not her daughter, ‘ she said quickly and rather sharply. ’We are just friends.’
‘Aaaa-ha I see,’ said Vince.
‘No you don’t at all, we are simply friends.’ and Patsy coloured as she reiterated the statement.
‘That’s fine, we get simple friends in here all the time.’ he laughed.
‘No you don’t see, we are friends that just happen to share a flat for financial reasons.’ Patsy almost yelled, her face now coloured red in anger.

This was not going at all as she had imagined and she wanted to leave but Jeannie was looking at one house he had shown her, with more earnest than Patsy thought necessary. Jeannie turned to Patsy. ‘What do you think of this one,’ she asked. And Patsy could have sworn that Jeannie winked at Vince!

‘Hang on Jeannie, have you forgotten why we came in here?’ she screamed and held back a few tears… what was wrong with Jeannie she thought, why was she being so serious about buying a house, they had come in so that she, Patsy could get to know Mr Estate Agent, Vince. He had been in her dreams for weeks now and she loved him!
She noticed how he was looking at Jeannie, the bitch, she was flirting with him, how dare she, Vince was hers, he was in her stars!  Then she saw his hand close over Jeannie’s and she nearly choked with rage. It was she who he should be taking notice of, it was she, who was the gregarious, sensitive and witty one, not Jeannie!
How could Jeannie do that to her?
Then she heard him say, ‘It would be perfect for a family, it’s a beautiful house, I am so glad you like my choice for you.’
Patsy saw Jeannie smile shyly with those bloody blue eyes,‘ I want lots of children, this house would be, as you said, perfect for a family.’ she simpered and Vince smiled back.
So ’What now Miss Frost, or can I call you Jeannie?’ he said ‘As he offered her the key to the house in the brochure. And Jeannie smiled her motherly smile back as she sighed with contentment.

How was Patsy to know that Jeannie and Vince had met weeks ago and this meeting today was pay back day for Jeannie. All those years that Patsy had taken her for granted and sponged on her were over, Vince and Jeannie were buying that house together, to set up home together, they were to be married she told Patsy.

And with that Patsy left the office, screaming how Jeannie had stolen her man, ‘Horrible people, horrible, horrible,’ she screamed inside her head ….. She stumbled across the road fuming and so mad thinking they could be right that moment putting the key into the lock of that house, poor me she thought, it should be me not Jeannie!